Defining Quality Management. Free Essay Example

Quality Assurance is the maintenance of high-quality services in health care by co0ntinually measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the facility that provides the care. It measures the compliance of stated standards, and it is essential through its opportunity to identify various problems that might affect the safety or the care of a patient and make immediate changes. On the other hand, Quality Improvement in health care is defined as continuous improvement of health care delivery that focuses on systems and processes, it is the framework that is utilized to improve the delivery of care to patients systematically, and it follows processes that can be analyzed, measured, enhanced, and controlled (Morrow et al., 2012). An example of the way quality assurance is applied in health care is the use of keeping the records of patients in electronics and the use of a prescription ordering system. For quality improvement, the optimization of Sepsis care enhances early recognition together with its outcomes. Both Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement are closely related, but they have a difference. Quality Assurance is more defensive, and it puts more focus on providers. It relates to overseeing the already existing quality care control processes, while quality improvement is preventive and proactive, and it focuses majorly on patient care. It is all about the enhancement of the care delivery process and results.

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Measurement of medical quality is the basis of evaluating healthcare quality improvements, and it can be classified into three ways, such as the process, volume, and outcome of the healthcare being provided. The measure of outcome indicates the change in the health of a patient, and it measures patients' experience, mortality, and readmissions. The measure of quality through process indicates the actions of healthcare in maintaining and improving the health of diagnosed patients. The structure as a measure of quality describes the context where health care is delivered, and it includes equipment, hospital buildings, financing, and staff (Mosadeghrad, 2013). The three measure of quality relates together as it coordinates to provide the best quality of care. Quality starts from the structure, which are resources of the health care facility, then to the process which the clinical activities in the facilities, then the outcome which is a combination of the structure and process both of high quality which translates to good results of the care. In general, the relationship between process, structure, and outcome represents medical quality

The three important principles of total quality are continuous quality improvement, teamwork, and customer focus. The principle of continuous quality improvement is based on seeking a continuous improvement om a system or process by simplifying a task or process without waiting for a big problem to occur. Continuous quality improvement in health care is made using automation, computer application, processes to simplify patient care data that supports decisions. The principle of customer service focuses on the responsibility of leaders or managers in creating direction and environment that is customer-focused, and it includes adherence to the nature of medical quality, which is dual. In health care, customer focus is provided through espousing stakeholders with customer service to define the care provided based on the patient's needs and expectations. The principle of teamwork is all about involving employees in quality with a common purpose and goal. The team members work together, and their contributions are judged by contributions made as a group. Concerning health care, the team that provides patient care in hospitals is responsible for the provision of services that range from prevention, acute, and services at the end-of-life.

Quality management is a practice of overseeing all tasks and activities that have to be completed to maintain the anticipated level of excellence. In a health care setting, it is the act of maximizing the satisfaction of patients and any other customers through attitude change and comprehensive health care strategy that enables personnel to utilize qualitative methods to meet patients' requirements and reduce costs in which care is provided. Quality management includes the determination of quality improvement and assurance (Groene et al., 2013). It ensures that both quality assurance and improvement are consistent, and it uses such two components to achieve quality standards. Quality management is overall, and it covers all quality functions that lift from quality improvement and assurance to the management level.

In conclusion, medical quality is vital for the provision of efficient care to patients. It is attained by quality assurance, which is the maintenance of high-quality services in health care and quality improvement, which is a continuous improvement of health care delivery that focuses on systems and processes. Quality management covers all of them, and it is the general view of the function of quality, and both quality assurance and improvement are functions and components of quality management. Quality care is provided through the employment of three total quality principles, such as total quality are continuous quality improvement, teamwork, and customer focus in health care, and the quality is measured through the process, outcome, and structure in which it is provided.

References

Groene, O., Botje, D., Suñol, R., Lopez, M. A., & Wagner, C. (2013). A systematic review of instruments that assess the implementation of hospital quality management systems. International Journal for quality in health care, 25(5), 525-541. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzt058

Morrow, E., Robert, G., Maben, J., & Griffiths, P. (2012). Implementing largescale quality improvement. International journal of health care quality assurance. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09526861211221464/full/html

Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2013). Healthcare service quality: towards a broad definition. International journal of health care quality assurance. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09526861311311409/full/html